


If I Said I Needed Your Love

by SailorHeichou



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Awkward Crush, Barista!Akira, Cafe Leblanc (Persona 5), Daddy!Iwai, Domestic Fluff, Flower Shops, Futaba is Akira's little sister, Humor, Iwai owns a flower shop, M/M, No Metaverse, No Phantom Thieves, Slice of Life, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-12
Updated: 2017-12-16
Packaged: 2019-02-13 21:53:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12993291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SailorHeichou/pseuds/SailorHeichou
Summary: Akira has just taken over ownership of his Uncle's Coffee Shop, Cafe Leblanc but nothing seems to be going right. With something new breaking every other day, he enlists the help of a local handyman, Iwai Munehisa but Akira never expects to start falling for the surly Flower Shop owner.Iwai was doing fine, up until that fluffy-haired kid started bugging him for every little thing that needed fixing. It also didn't help that he was kind of pretty and stupidly awkward.





	1. Him

**Author's Note:**

> Yo. This is my first Persona fic. Just a heads up. Finally making my grand debut into this fandom!  
> Bring on all the Iwai/Akira goodness, amiright?

"Futaba, if you don't hurry and finish your cereal you're going to be late for school." 

"Chill, Bro." 

Akira sighed heavily as he regarded the teenage girl sitting across from him. Futaba was crouched in her seat in that oh so peculiar way of hers, knees bent and hugged against her chest as she deliberately ate her Fruity Pebbles. She had her long, burnt orange hair pulled back into a high pony tail, a look that Akira was not accustomed to seeing on his younger sibling. Of course, anyone who looked at the two of them stood next to one another could tell that they were not actually blood-siblings. Futaba's mother had taken Akira in when he was younger and left orphaned due to some rather unfortunate circumstances, but despite already having her hands full with little Futaba, Wakaba had brought him into her home and treated him like family. The same could be said for Futaba's Uncle, Sojiro. He had become a sort of Father figure for the both of them and for giving him a family, Akira would always be grateful. 

"What's your rush anyway? It's only 7:30." 

"Today's the first day I'm opening Cafe Leblanc as the new owner, remember?" 

"Oh, yeah! Totes forgot that Uncle Sojiro left you in charge of the Cafe from now on." Futaba's brown eyes scanned her adopted brother's attire, humming quietly to herself before seeming to nod in approval at his choice of outfit. "Am I still going to have to stop in and help out after school?" she asked, a slightly worried tone to her voice. 

"No." Akira answered with a warm smile. "I know Sojiro liked to force us to help out after school and during Summer Break, but now that I'm taking over, I want you to focus on studies, okay?" 

"Aww," Futaba cooed. "You're the best big bro, you know that?" 

"That doesn't mean you can sneak off to the arcades, though." the raven pointed out with a slightly stern glare.

"... I take back what I just said. You're the _worst_!" 

"Yes, yes. I'm the worst. Please finish your cereal, it's starting to get soggy."

\- ♥ -

Cafe Leblanc was a small little establishment, nestled away in the narrow backstreets of a bustling city. The Cafe's Regulars were usually elderly, people who had been around when the Cafe was first opened. Despite it's small size, Sojiro had built up quite a sparkling reputation for his World class ability to brew coffee that tasted like no other found in this city. Akira had found comfort in the familiar and rich scent of coffee beans as a younger boy, scared and alone and still trying to adjust to a new life with a new family and while Sojiro could come off as rude and abrasive, he was no doubt one of the kindest people and had even taken Akira under his wing as he got older. He taught him his techniques and helped him discover his own style for brewing coffee. Now, it had gone from a summer job to a deep passion over the years. At the age of twenty-five, Akira had learned why Sojiro found joy in doing what he did for so long. Seeing someone's face light up after that first sip of coffee, the way some people's eyes softened because a specific flavor brings back some sense of nostalgia, or how the warmth of a porcelain cup can cause some to relax their tensed and stressed bodies.

It was now 8:01 a.m. and Akira made sure to flip the sign on the front of the door to **OPEN**. Of course, it wasn't like he was expecting customers to come flooding into the Cafe just because he officially opened the place. After many summers spent working part-time as a busboy and server for Sojiro in this place, Akira had learned that their clientele tended to trickle in towards late morning, so he decided to take his time and get things in order. Nothing wrong with being properly prepared, after all. So, that's exactly what he did for an hour or so as he waited for his customer to show up. He wiped down the bar top, checked their stock of beans and did just a bit of inventory while he had the free time. They were well supplied, of course, delivery coming every Sunday and Sojiro making sure that Akira had everything that he would need for the first week or so. 

Sojiro was still healthy and able to run the Cafe, but the man had been doing it for the last Twenty years or so and wanted to retire at an early age, while he was still young enough to go and do all the traveling and sightseeing he'd always wanted to do. He had offered to stay behind to help taking care of Futaba, but Akira had reassured the man that he could handle it himself and not to worry about them. Sojiro had seemed skeptical, at first, but after seeing how determined Akira was about taking care of Futaba and taking over running the Cafe on his own, he had relented and packed a single bag before taking off on his new adventure. He still called and checked up on them everyday, always regaling them with stories about his trips. Occasionally, he would send Futaba trinkets and such from his travels. 

As the clock ticked and time rolled by, Akira had only served a total of three customers, two of which were pick up orders while the third was the sweet old woman who lived a little ways down the street with her husband. She frequented the Cafe and Akira already knew that the woman would be back again by the evening with her husband and the couple would sit at one of the booths, lined with burgundy vinyl, watching the evening news and making idle chit-chat. It was a scene he was all too familiar with walking in on by now. Akira piled the used cups into the sink and began running the hot water as he rolled up the sleeves of his crisp, white button down shirt. As he began to washed the cups, soaping up his hands and scrubbing the insides of the cups thoroughly, he heard a low groaning of the pipes underneath the sink before a crack was heard. Pausing in his motions, the raven narrowed his eyes as he leaned down to get a better listen. Had he imagined it? 

Suddenly, he heard a gurgling coming from the drain and before he could lean back, the drain spat at him drenching his face with hot, soapy water. Hissing, Akira stepped back from the sink and blindly started searching for a towel to dab his wet face with. Luckily, his glasses had blocked the soap from getting in his eyes but nothing could prevent it from getting in his mouth and he took a moment to spit and groan with disgust. Never had he been more relieved for the lack of customers because he was sure that he probably made quite a sight at the moment. When his searching fingers finally found the clean towel that was hung over the edge of the sink, the raven removed his glasses and buried his wet face in the soft material, dabbing away at the moisture before finally glancing back at the fussy sink that had begun to regurgitate more and more murky water. 

"You've gotta be kidding me..." Akira muttered to himself. "Today of all days?" 

He spent the next several minutes trying to unclog the sink that had suddenly decided to back up on him for no apparent reason. Akira couldn't help but feel like the universe was playing some kind of terrible joke on him for having the sink crap out on him on his first day as the new owner of Cafe Leblanc. In the end, he had to give up because no amount of plunging or amateur fiddling would fix the problem. As much as he dreaded the idea, Akira knew he would have to call Sojiro, wherever the man may be at the moment, and ask for his advice considering this couldn't have been the first time the sink has acted up. If anyone would know what to do in this situation, it would be his Uncle. 

He pulled out his phone, after drying his hands, and dialed a familiar number pressing the device to his ear and listening as the line began to ring. It took a couple of tries, but finally, he was able to get in touch with Sojiro who sounded just the tiniest bit worried when he answered the phone sounding sleep-addled and groggy. 

"Uh, Sojiro. I've got a bit of a problem here." 

_" What? What is it? Is it Futaba? Is she alright?" _

"No, no! Futaba's fine. Everything's fine. But... uh, well, you see the sink at Leblanc's kind of..."

 _"Ah, that."_ Sojiro could be heard sighing heavily, though he didn't sound in the least bit surprised or concerned for that matter. _"Yeah, it tends to act up from time to time. Uh, don't bother trying to fix it yourself. You'll just make it worse."_

"Right," Akira sighed. "So, what should I do? Should I call a plumber or something?"

_" Nah, no need. I know a guy. He's helped be out in situations like that before so he'll know exactly what to do." _

"Is there a number I can reach him with?" 

_" On the fridge in the back, there's a business card for a local Flower Shop." _

"A... flower shop?"

_" Yeah. The owner is also a handyman. Does jobs on the side and the good thing is he's close by so he won't take long, unless he's busy. Flip the card over. His cell number is written on the back. Give him a ring and then text me, got it? If he charges you, just tell him I'll take care of it." _

"No, that's alright. I can cover it if he does charge me."

Sojiro fell silent for a moments, _"Are you sure...? It's not big deal. I can cover the repair this time. Besides, Iwai isn't really expensive anyway."_

"It's fine. Really. I have more than enough money saved up from my old job." 

Once again, he was answered with a pregnant pause before a gruff grunt could be heard in what Akira assumed was affirmation. Finally ending the call, the young Raven didn't waste any time in looking for the business card pinned to the front of the fridge in the back. When he found it, he noticed that it was a simple card with a simple design and font. White with a little yellow rose in the upper right corner and the name of the shop in small, black font. 

"Munehisa Flowers & Arrangements?" 

Now that he read it out loud, the name did sound familiar. Perhaps he'd passed it on his way to and from the Cafe, after all, Sojiro did say the man was close by. It would only make sense. Flipping the card over, he noticed the slightly messy handwritten phone number and the name "Iwai" underlined two times by Sojiro. Taking a deep breath, Akira dialed the number and waited as the line rang, and rang... and rang... just as he was about to give up on the fourth ring, the line suddenly clicked and a deep, put-upon sigh could be heard.

 _"Munehisa."_ a low, gruff voice answered. 

Swallowing thickly, Akira hadn't expected the man to answer so suddenly. To be fair, he also didn't expect the man to sound quite so... rugged. He must have taken too long to answer because what he heard next was a very irritated sucking of teeth before the sound of rustling could be heard. 

"Ah, um, I'm sorry to bother you but are you Iwai? I mean--! I-Is the person I'm speaking with Iwai?" 

_"..."_ The silence was heavy and Akira worried if he had perhaps said something to offend the man. _"Who the hell is asking? How did you get this number?"_

Well, now he was really worried. This man sounded angry. "Uh, my name is Akira. I'm the person who took over ownership of Cafe Leblanc. Sojiro gave me your number." 

_"Sojiro? Sakura Sojiro?"_

"Y-Yes. He told me that you're a handyman?" 

_"Wait, did you say Cafe Leblanc?"_

"Ye--"

_" Hang on. I'll be there in a few minutes." _

Before he could even say another word, the call suddenly ended and Akira was left holding his phone to his ear as his mouth open and closed like a fish out of water. That conversation had been so abrupt and awkward. Maybe he should have thought out what he was going to say beforehand. Then again, he had been thrown off by the sound of man's voice as he answered the phone. Still, Akira couldn't help but wonder just what sort of person Iwai Munehisa was. He would find out shortly, he supposed.

As he waited for the owner of the flower shop to come, Akira did his best to tidy up a bit. Some water from the sink had splashed out while he was attempting to fix it himself and failed horribly. He mopped it up and wiped down any other traces of water on the counters in the back. He startled when he heard the sound of the front door open, the little bell at the top tinkling noisily to alert him to the arrival of a possible customer. Quickly, he smoothed out any wrinkled from his shirt and tightened the knot of the apron around his waist as he walked out to greet whoever had just walked in. 

"Welcome to Cafe Leblanc." he said with a warm smile. "Please sit wherever you'd like." 

The man standing at the door was tall with broad shoulders. His upper face was partially covered by the low brim of his cap, but Akira could see his sharp features and unshaven face. He was wearing jeans and a black turtle neck, the cuffs of his jeans were tucked into a pair of worn, lace up combat boots. The man glanced up at Akira from underneath the brim of his cap, he seemed to take a long moment to stare at him, perhaps studying him for whatever reason. Then, he reached up with his free hand, the raven belatedly noticing that in his right hand was a small tool box. 

"Oh," Akira said, once he realized that this man must be Munehisa Iwai. "Iwai?" 

"Yeah," the man answered curtly. "You the kid that called?"

He decided to disregard the little fact that the man called him a Kid. For now, anyway. "I'm Akira. Sojiro told me where to find your number. Sorry for bothering you so early in the day." 

"So, what's the problem?" 

"Oh, right. Uh, well, the sink in the back suddenly started acting up just as I was rinsing off some cups. I honestly don't know what happened." 

"Hmph." Making his way around the bar, Akira watched as Iwai showed himself towards said sink. The man walked through the Cafe like he knew exactly where everything was and maybe he did. Judging by Sojiro's earlier words, he must have called Iwai on a number of occasions to fix things for him. The young raven had to wonder how it was he hadn't met the man at some point over the last few years. "Sojiro still hasn't gotten that damn sink fixed properly, hm?" 

"Has this happened before?" Akira asked, as he followed Iwai into the back where he began to analyze the sink while setting his tool box down.

"Only about a million fucking times." 

Suddenly, Iwai was removing his cap, revealing a mess of shaggy, ash-gray hair that the man began to tie back into a short pony tail of sorts. Then he was rolling up the sleeves of his black turtleneck, which Akira found only slightly strange considering the nice weather they were having lately. Who wore turtlenecks in the middle of spring, anyway? Still, dark gray eyes couldn't help but stare at the well sculpted forearms that were now on full display for him to see. Iwai didn't waste any time on getting on his hands and knees and getting straight to work. Akira fidgeted behind him, unsure of what he was supposed to do exactly. It would probably be awkward if he just stood there, watching Iwai work in complete silence, no matter how nice the view of those forearms were. Instead, he decided to make himself cup of coffee while grabbing his cell phone off it's charger. 

He replied to several IM's he had received from his best friend Ryuji while sipping on his coffee. He briefly mentioned the situation he was going through with the clogged sink and the slow flow of customers, but otherwise didn't mention Iwai. Ryuji would only get nosy and wanna drop by to snoop on the guy and that was the last thing Akira needed on this already stressful day. Once he had finished his cup of coffee, Akira decided to check on the man who had been very quiet for some time now. 

"Uhm, is everything alright?" he asked hesitantly. "Do you... need anything?" 

"You got anything besides coffee to drink?" Iwai asked. It looked like he had managed to drain all the murky water that had gurgled up out of the drain, but now he was laying flat on his back while working on the pipe underneath the sink. "Don't care what it is. As long as it's cold." 

"Oh, uh, sure. Is iced tea alright?" 

"Yeah. Thanks." 

So far, Akira wasn't sure what he thought of Iwai. The man had barely spoken to him the whole time he had been there, aside from asking for something to drink, he seemed decent enough. A little on the gruff side, but it's not like Akira wasn't already used to that kind of attitude. In some ways, the man reminded him of his Uncle. Sojiro wasn't exactly the type to outwardly show his feelings and he had a habit of acting like a hardass, but that was just a front. In reality, the man was very kind and generous and perhaps that was the case with Iwai. Who was to say? 

"Here you go. I'll just leave here on the counter." 

"Thanks." 

Grunting as he wiggled out from the tight space beneath the sink, the older man brushed a few strands of hair that had fallen in his face once he sat up. He stood up and dusted off his pants, then took the glass of iced tea and took two big gulps. Akira tried his best not to stare at him too much, but it was a little hard not to. Now that Iwai wasn't wearing that cap, he could clearly make out all the sharp, chiseled angles of his face and he was just a little surprised to see that the man was not bad looking in the least. Maybe he was a bit on the scruffy side, but there was even something charming about that. Iwai looked up and caught Akira's gaze, but instead of being embarrassed for being caught, the raven instead was just the tiniest bit amazed by the intriguing color of Iwai's eyes. Light gray that reminded him of silver rain showers. 

"So," that deep, husky voice of his suddenly said. It was what snapped the younger man out of his stupor over the man's curious eyes. "You mentioned something about taking over ownership of this place. Aren't you kinda young to be running a business like this all on your own?" 

With his age finally being brought up for questioning, Akira straightened up a bit before answering. "I don't think Twenty-five is all that young." he said with a little smile. "I've been working here part-time since I was Fifteen." 

"Huh." Iwai drawled. His eyes once again seeming to scrutinize Akira for a long moment. "I'm surprised Sojiro decided to give up ownership to a part-timer. I never thought that old geezer would retire." 

"Well, he's my Uncle." the raven explained. "I honestly don't think he would have handed the Cafe over to anyone unless it was family." 

"That makes sense." the older man shrugged. He was nearly finished with his tea. "I'm not really big on coffee but the rare times I do crave it, Sojiro's was always the best. You've got some pretty big shoes to fill, kid." 

"Maybe." Akira shrugged back. "But I'm confident in my own skills. I learned from the best after all." 

His answer seemed to earn a bark of laughter from the older man, the sound slightly surprising the raven who blinked owlishly at the taller man who hand his head thrown back. 

"Well, shit, kid. I guess you've got a point." Glass now empty, Iwai set it inside the sink before running the hot water. He let the faucet run for a bit, glancing over at Akira over his shoulder and seeming quite satisfied with his work. "Looks like I'm all done here." 

"Oh god, you really fixed it." the young barista sighed with pure relief. "I thought I was done for." 

"Yeah, well, one of these days you just might be. I keep telling Sojiro he needs to get the entire sink replaced, pipes and all. This thing is older than me, probably. It's a ticking time bomb just waiting to happen." 

"That... sounds like my Uncle, yeah." 

"Look, if I were you, I'd listen to the advice I'm giving you. Invest in new equipment and soon. Sojiro was a stubborn old bastard who didn't dare part with a single piece of shit in this place no matter how many times they fucked up or gave out. I can't even tell you how many times I've been over here fixing something for your Uncle." 

"Yeah, I know Sojiro is really stubborn. He's not exactly a fan of change. But, I'll definitely start looking into some newer appliances for the place." 

"Good." Using a rag that Akira had given him earlier to dry off his hands and wipe off any dirt, Iwai moved to put his tools away and shut the box. "A business like this needs reliable equipment, ya know?" 

"Thank you, Iwai. You really saved me. Um, how much do I owe you for the repair?" 

Akira waited for the man's answer as he proceeded to put his things away and roll the sleeves of his turtleneck back down. Once he had finished gathering his things, Iwai turned and regarded the young new Cafe owner. 

"Nah, I won't charge ya this time." he said. 

Blinking in surprise, Akira suddenly started shaking his head. "No! I insist on paying!" 

"Look, kid. Just think of it as me doing a new business owner a favor, alright? It's not like fixing the sink was a big deal and I'm not really aching for the cash right now or anything. Keep your money." 

He didn't like accepting free things. Especially since he saw firsthand just how much work went into fixing that sink. But, Akira didn't think that arguing with Iwai was a very smart idea. 

"... Thank you, Iwai." it came out a bit reluctant but Akira hoped the man could sense his gratitude anyway.

"Sure thing, kid. See ya." 

As the man began making his way out of the shop, a frantic feeling of panic clutched his heart and Akira fidgeted in place, wracking his brain for some kind of idea to try and repay the man for his generosity. Of course, panic was a jerk of an emotion and before he knew it, his mouth was opening before his brain could even register what it was he was even saying. 

"Uh, Iwai! Please stop by again anytime, okay? I mean... stop by for a drink, not, not because I want you to fix something again. That's not--" 

"We'll see." the man said, shooting a crooked smile over his shoulder before exiting the Cafe. "Later." 

Silence fell over the entire Cafe as Akira was left standing in the middle of the store, one hand clutched to his chest where he could literally feel his heart thundering in his chest. He wished that he could blame the heat in his cheeks to the fact that he was simply embarrassed for having made a complete fool himself, but he wasn't dumb enough to fall for any excuses him brain may try to make. He had flushed like some kind of moonstruck school girl because of that unexpected smile he received.

"Oh, no." he groaned quietly, hands coming up to hide his blushing face. "Calm down, Akira. You're just... flustered. It's been a long morning. You're probably just tired." 

In the end, even his little pep talk didn't fully convince and Akira spent the rest of his day doing his best to focus on tending to the few customers who filtered in throughout the afternoon and early evening. Still, he couldn't help but let his mind drift back to the somewhat mysterious man he had spent the morning with. He wondered if Iwai would take him up on his offer of stopping by for a drink. He sure hoped he would. Oh, Ann, Makoto and Yusuke would have a field day if he told them about the hunky handyman he met today. Better not to tell them anything then. The last thing he needed was to be taunted and playfully teased by his best friends about this whole thing. It was bad enough they still never let him forget about his former crush on Ryuji that lasted four years of high school and one summer after graduation. 

His phone buzzed in his pocket as he was cleaning up after a long day. There hadn't been as many customers as he had hoped, but it was only the first day, after all. These things took time. Recognizing the loud, cheerful ringtone as Futaba's, Akira answered and greeted the teen fondly. 

"Hey, Ali." 

_"That's Alibaba to you!"_

"Right," he chuckled. "My bad. Are you home now?" 

_"Duh. I did as I was told and came straight home after school and studied."_

"Yeah? Well, sounds like someone deserves a reward for being such a good student. How does Ramen sound?" 

_" Yay! Can we go out for Ramen? Or are you picking it up?" _

"We can go out, if you want." 

_"Aw yiss, son! I'll change and get ready"_

"I'll be home soon. Bye."

_" Roger that, Captain! Alibaba, out!" _


	2. You, Again

"Hey, Kaoru! If you don't hurry it up, you're gonna be late!" 

"I know, I know! I can't believe I slept through my alarm!" 

Iwai couldn't help but sigh as he leaned against the kitchen counter, watching as his son zipped back and forth gathering his things. At some point, the young teen grabbed a piece of toast and shoved it in his mouth as he shrugged on his uniform jacket. 

"Hey," he called, a little more softly this time. "I know you don't wanna be late but at least slow down to chew your food, Kaoru." Iwai cracked a crooked smile as he chuckled fondly. "School ain't worth chokin' to death for, ya know." 

Kaoru took a moment to blink up at his father, a playful look in his eyes as he quietly sipped his tea. Iwai had never really been one for bitter things, though not that anyone needed to know about his secret sweet tooth. Nobody would ever let him live it down, after all. He had a reputation to keep up as the surly manager of the flower shop he owned. Finally, the teen who had been in such a terrible rush before slowed to at least swallow his toast and grab a drink of the orange juice Iwai had left out. With his toast gone and juice half finished, Kaoru wiped his mouth clean with his sleeve, a move that had Iwai immediately frowning at him with a shake of his head. 

"Sorry," the boy apologized sheepishly. Then, he was buttoning the jacket of his uniform and slipping his school bag over his shoulder. "I'm leaving! Bye, Dad!" 

"See ya at home later, Kaoru." 

With the noisy teenager now gone, Iwai sighed loudly as he began to clean up the leftover breakfast he had made for Kaoru. It wasn't exactly a common thing for him to do, making a full course meal for his son. Iwai would be the first one to admit that he wasn't exactly the best cook, in fact, he would say he barely qualified as a cook at all. At best, he could make toast that wasn't burnt and prepare a bowl of cereal, which is exactly what he had done that morning. Except, Kaoru had slept past his alarm and didn't have time to eat in the end. He eyed the Cinnamon Toast Crunch that was sitting in the bowl of milk, slowly getting soggier and soggier. The thought of throwing it down the sink just didn't sit well with him, so instead, he grabbed a spoon and tucked in. He took one big bite of cinnamon-flavored mush and grimaced around the spoon still in his mouth, but, never one to waste perfectly good food, he powered through the soggy meal until there was nothing but brownish milk left behind. Now, _that_ , he did toss down the drain. No way was he drinking all of that cinnamon-milk, no matter how much he actually liked sweets. 

He did the dishes and set them all aside to dry, then he was making his own exit after making sure he had turned everything off inside the apartment. It wasn't much, a small two bedroom with the one bath and kitchen and living room. Big enough for him and Kaoru and that was all that really mattered. Now that he thought about it, that was the only thing that seemed to matter to him for the last twelve or thirteen years, since Kaoru had been placed in his care. Looking back on it now, he never would have thought that that tiny little baby boy would come to rule so much of his life now. Anyone who knew him from before that time wouldn't believe he was even the same person, probably. He had changed so much, given up so much, all for the sake of that one little baby. Maybe Kaoru had given him something that had always been missing from his life, love, affection, a family. Even if he wasn't actually his Father by blood, nothing would ever change those precious moments of pride swelling up inside of his chest when that little baby started walking on his own, saying his first words, his first day of school and so on and so forth. Nobody could ever take those memories away from him now. 

Still, he never thought he would be the owner of a small little flower shop, of all things. It wasn't even that he liked flowers or anything, it was just something he sort of fell into once he'd taken on the responsibility of taking care of Kaoru. Being a former gang member wasn't exactly something you put down on a resume and expected to get hired at some fancy office job. Besides, Iwai was street smart, not book smart. He wouldn't have lasted a week inside a stuffy old office surrounded by a bunch of stuck up college graduates who just sat on their asses day after day getting fat on donuts and instant ramen cups. There had been an old man who ran a flower shop near his current apartment and he had been kind enough (or dumb enough, depends on how you looked at it) to hire Iwai despite his lack of experience in that sort of business. It had been a temporary job at the time, something to put food on the table and pay the rent, but then that old geezer had to go and die on him and left his flower shop to Iwai in his will. 

Turns out he didn't have family or any next of kin and had come to realize that if he didn't figure out what to do with his shop before he croaked, it would be gone. People would usually be pretty shocked or even pleasantly surprised to have inherited a nice little business like that from some random old bastard with no family, but Iwai was still convinced, even to this day, that the salty old miser had left him his shitty little shop out of spite. Of course, that was just his cynical side talking. Despite not actually wanting the shop in the first place, he had managed to keep it up and running by some miracle. Now, it was ten years later and Iwai had himself a small but successful shop of his own. It was simple, easy and didn't require a lot of hours so he still got to go home at a reasonable hour everyday and spend his evenings with Kaoru. Weirdly enough, it all worked out and here he was now. 

His shop was located on the corner of a popular backstreet and unless you were a local, it was pretty much impossible to find on your own. Luckily, there was always the ever reliable word of mouth and that was pretty much how he kept his business going. That, and, of course, the nifty little tricks he picked up from that old bastard about caring for the flowers they sold. As much as he hated to admit it, he had quite the green thumb. Maybe he had been a farmer in another life? Snorting at the thought, Iwai batted his thoughts away as he unlocked his shop and began preparing for the day. 

It was a Tuesday morning, so he didn't really expect very many customers. What was worse was that there weren't even any major holidays coming up. Valentines Day was usually when he made a killing, but it was April now and nobody really needed to send flowers, unless it was for an Anniversary or a funeral. Occasionally, he'd get the nervous guy who needed some overpriced roses for a first date, always way too over dressed and wearing a fuck ton of cologne too. He hated dealing with those types of customers, but, he was highly against hiring a part-timer to help him around the shop. Kaoru often offered to help him, but that was the last thing Iwai wanted. No thirteen-year-old should be working part-time when they could be out having fun and living a normal kid's life. At least, that was his opinion when it came to his own thirteen-year-old.

"Ah, Good morning, Iwai." a sweet yet familiar voice greeted from behind. Iwai had just finished flipping the sign on the outside of the door from CLOSED to OPEN. 

Turning around to properly face the source of the voice, he was met with the kindly smile of the elderly woman that lived around the neighborhood. She occasionally stopped in his shop to pick out some common house plant, plant food or a new watering can, sometimes even dragging her poor husband along for the trip. Though, secretly, Iwai sort of admired their relationship. It was heartwarming seeing the older couple walking side by side, sometimes arm in arm, waddling their way through the backstreets and chitchatting, completely wrapped up in their own conversations and oblivious to the rest of the world. 

"Mornin'," he greeted the old woman with a nod of his head. "Going for your morning rounds already?" 

The woman chuckled, her eyes crinkling and a small wrinkled hand coming to cover her mouth shyly. "Oh, Iwai. Didn't you know? Some light exercise is good for the heart."

"Hmm, alright then. Don't push yourself too hard, ma'am."

Giving her another nod of his head, he made to open the door and walk back into his shop, but once again the woman stopped him. 

"Oh, by the way," she chirped. "Have you heard about the Cafe down the block? Sojiro finally handed it over to someone new."

"Ah," Iwai answered lamely, a hand coming up to rub at the back of his neck. A brief image of fluffy, dark hair, long eyelashes and a warm smile flashed through his mind. "I did hear somethin' about it."

"It was such a shame to hear that Sojiro retired, but from what I've gathered, the new owner is actually his nephew. A sweet, young man, that one." 

"I see." 

"I was a little worried about the Cafe being under new ownership but it seems like Sojiro's nephew is doing his best to keep to how Sojiro ran things."

"Mm." 

"Oh, and did I mention he's quite the handsome one?" she tittered at her own words. "I was thinking about introducing him to my granddaughter. They're about the same age, I think. Having such a sweet boy as my grandson-in-law would be nice." 

"..." 

"Ah, I'm sorry, was I rambling? Forgive me. I'll let you get back to opening up your shop, Iwai." 

"Have a nice walk, ma'am." 

The woman waved to him as she smiled once again, then she was turning to resume her walk as Iwai entered his shop to start preparing for the day. He had an arrangement to finish, but that wouldn't take very long. The customer would be by to pick it up in the afternoon and that was about as busy as Iwai assumed it would be today. Unless, of course, he got a sudden customer in but he somehow doubted it. Most people liked calling and ordering their flowers over the phone these days, a half-assed way of doing anything, if you asked him. Kaoru had already suggested he start his own website for the shop but Iwai wasn't very tech savvy and he trusted computers even less than smart phones. Maybe he was just being paranoid but he didn't see what was so hard about just getting off your ass and walking into a flower shop to see arrangements for yourself. God, how he hated all this new technology. 

His morning went by slowly, but he managed to pass the time by doing what he always did. Secretly watching reruns of daytime dramas, of course. It was his guilty pleasure and while the acting was terrible and the writing was crap, he still found himself being wrangled right back into each episode. Luckily, there was an old CRTV in the back that he could watch his dramas in peace during the early mornings, skipping past all the obnoxious talks shows because he couldn't give a shit about those. He didn't understand why anyone would give a rat's ass about what celebrity did what and what kind of gum they're chewing and whether or not they took a shit on sunday. Who cares? They're celebrities, their jobs were to entertain the masses and get paid millions of dollars for fake-crying on screen.

As morning bled into early afternoon, he was almost relieved to see the customer who ordered that arrangement yesterday. It was an older woman, wearing a very smart pantsuit with short black heels and her auburn hair tied back into a neat bun. She seemed pleased with the arrangement, paying Iwai what he was owed and even leaving a little tip before going on her way. He wished all of his customers could be that easy to deal with, but unfortunately, this was the real world and majority of the people in it were shitty. Himself included, he supposed. 

He felt his phone buzz once in his pocket, notifying him to a new text message. Fishing out his phone, Iwai unlocked the screen to be met with a text from Kaoru. Reading it to himself quietly, he felt a frown forming on his face as he tapped the screen a few times to type out a reply.

> **Kaoru:** Be home later. Going to study at a friend's house.

> **Iwai:** Don't stay out too late. It's still a school night. 

Sighing for what felt like the hundredth time that day, Iwai leaned back in the desk chair situated behind the front counter of the shop. He rested his head back against the wall behind him and closed his eyes for a minute or two. The lollipop that he had in his mouth was nearly finished, leaving nothing but the plastic stick and the lingering taste of bubblegum on his tongue. He tried to take a quick little catnap while he had the chance, though he knew that probably wouldn't happen, because when had it ever? Still, he tried despite knowing how futile it was but instead of enjoying the peace and quiet the lull of mid-afternoon brought, his thoughts were once again drifting back to the image of pale skin, long arms and legs, large dark-gray eyes and the sensation of those eyes lingering on him as he worked. Recalling the familiar feeling had the hair on his arms standing on end, a small shiver running down his spine as he suddenly sat forward and shook himself. 

"What the hell..." he grumbled to himself as he rubbed the back of his neck tiredly. Why was he still thinking about that damn brat? Not only was he thinking about him, he was remembering the most unnecessary shit about him too. What was up with that?

Suddenly, he felt his phone buzz in his pocket, the sensation startling him as he hissed out a curse under his breath while fumbling to retrieve it. When he finally managed to grip the square device and fish it out of his pocket, Iwai couldn't help but squint down at the familiar number that popped up on his screen. It wasn't saved under any specific name, but he didn't need to save the number to know exactly who it was that was calling. He hated that he already recognized the number too, having only seen it once before, yesterday afternoon when one specific fluffy-haired kid called him out of the blue. His thumb hovered over the screen of his phone, debating on whether or not he should take the call. In all honesty, there was no reason why he should avoid answering the call, but still... he just couldn't bring himself to tap the button to answer. He let the phone continue to buzz in his hand, already anxiously chewing on the plastic lollipop stick still in his mouth. He should just let it ring and go to voicemail... hell, he should just reject the call and send it straight to voicemail but... his thumb still hovered over the screen, contemplating, waiting. 

Finally, as the phone rang one last time, Iwai growled quietly to himself because, damn it, he just couldn't ignore the call in the end. His thumb tapped the green telephone icon and he swiped it across, answering with a long pause of silence before he seemed to remember his words. 

"... Munehisa."

 _"Iwai?"_ that familiar voice asked hesitantly. Iwai couldn't help but find it rather nice to listen to.

With a quiet clearing of his throat, he replied curtly. "What is it?" 

_"Oh,"_ the voice chuckled sheepishly. Damn it. Could he just hurry up and get to the point? _"Guess you already knew it was me calling. I... didn't think you remembered."_

"I may be old, kid, but I ain't _that_ old, yet." He heard a snort of laughter and despite himself, Iwai felt the corners of his lips curl slightly. "So? What is it? Somethin' else break down now?"

 _"Actually,"_ Akira paused but only for a beat. _"I was hoping you would stop by the Cafe today. Not because something needs fixing this time."_

If he were honest with himself, Iwai was actually a little surprised. He didn't actually think Akira would call him again so soon, let alone get serious about his extended offer of a drink at the Cafe. Iwai had intentionally gave him a vague answer yesterday when the topic was first brought up, only because he wasn't actually sure if he would take that offer himself. He wasn't exactly one for frequenting coffee shops and even when Sojiro had been around, it was rare for Iwai to stop in. Before, he could always use Kaoru as an excuse because he would rather be at home spending time with his son than sitting in some shop all by himself looking like some kind of lonely old creep. Unfortunately, he couldn't use Kaoru as an excuse this time. Was there any point in going straight home today to an empty apartment? Probably not. 

_" Iwai? You still there?" _

Shit, he had taken too long to answer. "Yeah," he said. "Uh, yeah, maybe I will stop by." 

_"Okay."_ Iwai could practically hear the pleased excitement in Akira's voice. It was, dare he think it, cute. _"See you soon?"_

"...Yeah, sure. See ya."

\- ♥ -

There he was, standing outside the familiar red-framed door of Leblanc's. As soon as he turned the corner on the street, his nose was immediately assaulted with the strong, rich scent of coffee. While he wasn't exactly a fan of drinking the bitter drink, he could at least appreciate the smell. He had decided to wait until he closed shop for the day before heading over to the coffee shop and he would forever deny that he was putting off this little visit for as long as possible because he was nervous. There was nothing to be nervous about, especially at his age, for god's sake he was thirty-seven-years-old. 

"Tsk, this is so fucking stupid..." he muttered under his breath. "Get your shit together, Iwai." 

He reached up to remove the thoroughly chewed lollipop stick from his mouth, pocketing it to be disposed of later. Then he straightened up and squared his shoulders, once again internally scolding himself for feeling like he needed to mentally prepare himself for this. He had just been here yesterday, nothing had changed, except for the fact that he now knew that Leblanc's new owner was a shitty brat who just so happened to be pretty as hell. Iwai never considered himself to be gay but after meeting that damn fluffy-haired kid, he had to question everything now. Bad enough, he had openly stared back at him yesterday when he had caught the kid staring at him first. He had been so obvious, it was hard to ignore the way his stare lingered on Iwai's forearms after he had rolled up his sleeves. 

Finally, he reached for the handle on the door and let himself in, the little bell at the top tinkling announcing his arrival to the entire shop. Not much to his surprise, the cafe was empty. But, standing behind the counter with his own sleeves rolled up past his elbows as he dried some wet mugs was Akira. Those dark eyes rose to see who had just entered, a warm smile forming on his face as he realized it was Iwai. 

"Welcome," Akira greeted. "What can I get you?" 

Iwai decided to settle on sitting at the bar, "Yo. Anything besides coffee would be great." 

"Sure thing." nodded Akira. "Is tea alright with you?"

"S'fine." 

As the raven moved to start preparing Iwai's drink, the older man couldn't help but take the opportunity to take in Akira's outfit for today. Yesterday, he had worn a simple white button down shirt, black apron tied around his wait with jeans and cognac colored oxfords. Today, he was wearing another [button down shirt](https://i.pinimg.com/564x/f4/26/f7/f426f7b554ec4d49307e24b1693657f9.jpg), black and white with an unusual sort of pattern on it, but despite that Iwai actually sort of admired the slim fit of the shirt and how it seemed to fit Akira's body like a glove. He still had that long, black apron tied around his waist but with his back facing Iwai, the man could easily see the slightly faded denim jeans he was wearing and a pair of black oxfords this time. Overall, Iwai wasn't entirely sure what to make of Akira, other than the little he already knew about him. He certainly had good taste in clothing, seeing as everything Iwai had seen him wear so far seemed to fit him perfectly and compliment his features. Gunmetal eyes landed on the smooth, pale skin of his long, elegant arms as the raven continued to move about behind the bar. 

"I hope you're okay with today's special. It's a blend of Matcha with ginger root." 

Ah, right, he wasn't here to make eyes at the new owner of Leblanc's. No matter how nice he filled out those jeans and that tight shirt. 

"That's fine. I'm not particularly picky."

Akira glanced at him from over his shoulder, a mysterious little smile on his face before he looked away. Iwai didn't wanna start reading into shit, because reading too deeply into shit was what got you ass deep in trouble and that was not what he needed right now. Maybe he had been single too long, he couldn't remember the last time he'd just let loose and slept with someone. He decided to use that as an excuse for why he was thinking so many strange things regarding Akira. There was just no way he was actually becoming interested in some pretty-faced kid all of a damn sudden.

"Here you go." finally, the raven-haired barista was turning to set the tea cup along with it's saucer down on the bar top, sliding it across to Iwai's waiting hand.

Grabbing the cup by it's handle, the older man lifted it up and took a quick moment to sniff at the subtle but calming aroma. He took an experimental sip, silently enjoying the way the hot liquid slid down the back of his throat as a comforting mix of creamy matcha and soothing ginger root filled his mouth. Setting the cup back down on it's plate, Iwai took a moment to close his eyes and nod with approval. 

"Not bad, kid." he said, that crooked smile forming on his lips once more despite himself. "Not too sweet, not too bitter. I like it." 

Akira looked like he had been sweating bullets the entire time, just waiting for Iwai's response to the tea, but with his positive review of the drink his tensed shoulder were relaxing and yet another one of those tiny, warm smiles softened his formerly anxious expression. 

"Good," he said with a nod of his own. "I'm glad. I wasn't sure if you were the type to like sweet things so I took gambled on a decision for the tea. Looks like I didn't do too bad, for my first time." 

"First time?" Iwai had to question, one of his brows arching. "You mean, making this tea for a customer?" 

"No." was Akira's blunt answer. "Figuring out what your exact preferences are." that mysterious little smile was back again, making Iwai wonder just what the kid was trying to imply. Luckily, he didn't have to wonder for long. "Let's just say, I'm hoping this isn't the first and last time you come into my cafe to order something because I'm determined to figure out the perfect drink for you."

At his bold statement, the older man couldn't help but snort out a laugh. "Is that right?" he smirked. "What makes you think I'm gonna come back?" 

"You have to." shrugged the young barista. "Maybe not everyday, of course. But, I'm absolutely dead serious about trying to find out what your perfect drink is." 

"What's so important about finding my " _perfect drink_ "?" he asked, a hint of sarcasm coloring his tone. 

"Finding a customer's perfect drink is what ensures they keep coming back." Akira pointed out, his little smile forming into a satisfied smirk of sorts. "As the owner, it's kind of important for me to make sure my customers keep coming back. My goal is to have you become one of the regulars, just wait and see." 

Well, shit. Iwai hadn't expected that for an answer to his question. "You're a little shit, do you know that?" there was no actual heat behind his words, but Akira seemed to take the insult for what it was. 

"Oh? No, I wasn't aware of this. Do tell." the raven smiled, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the bar top. 

"... Shut up." 

Iwai decided to try and hide the warmth he felt building up in his cheeks with the rim of his cup. 

Akira laughed softly, moving to straighten up and casually shove his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "But, in all serious, I hope you'll come back soon." 

Their eyes met and held contact for a long moment, Iwai once again noting with some annoyance that Akira's eyelashes were too freakin' long for a dude. Shouldn't girls be the only one with eyelashes like that? What the fuck was up with that? 

"Maybe I will." he finally said, once he had finished the last of his tea and left a few bills on the bar top. Akira eyed the money with one arched brow, a slight downturn of his lips could be seen too but Iwai didn't care. He was going to pay for this drink and Akira could fight him on it until he was blue in the face. It wouldn't change his mind. "Whenever I have the time." 

"Then, it's a deal." 

Chuckling as he stood up from his seat, Iwai adjusted the brim of his cap. "Sure. It's a deal. Now, I'll see ya 'round, kid." 

The two men parted for the evening, Iwai making his exit and leaving the cozy atmosphere of the cafe in exchange for the cool spring breeze outside. As he started his walk home, Iwai reached into his pocket and pulled out a brand new lollipop. He fussed with the plastic wrapper before finally ripping it off and popping the sweet sucker in his mouth. He hadn't bothered to look at which flavor he'd gotten this time but already he could taste hints of orange. It wasn't a lie, when he said he wasn't particularly picky. Sure, he wasn't a fan of bitter tasting things but that also varied depending on the food or drink. Hearing Akira openly declare that he wanted to figure out what his drink preference had been a bit of a surprise, in all honesty, but at the same time Iwai couldn't help but find it amusing. He knew himself better than anybody, of course he did, so he somehow doubted that the kid would be able to determined what his "perfect drink" could be.

 _'Good luck figuring that shit out.'_ he thought to himself with a little chuckle. 

For now, Iwai would put all thoughts of cute, fluffy-haired barista's out of his head and focus on getting home to scare up some dinner for him and Kaoru later. The teen said he would be home a little later than usual today, but that didn't mean that Iwai couldn't try to use this spare time to put some extra effort into a meal. As he neared his apartment, the thought of yet another one of his kitchen disasters made him slightly cringe. 

"Well... I guess a Pizza wouldn't kill anyone."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo! Chapter 2! Guys, I'm so pumped for this fic, okay? Keep the comments coming~
> 
> Ah, but as a side note, I should mention that I gave Iwai longer, shaggy hair because I saw the original concept art for him and loved his homeless chic look. Just in case anyone was wondering. -thumbs up-


End file.
